A true pioneer in American Modern Dance, Martha Graham is no longer dancing on the earth but her legacy lives on in an extraordinary company. Last Saturday night at the gorgeous Valley Performing Arts Center at CSUN, the audience was treated to a program of old and new works that began with a reprise of one of her classics—Appalachian Spring, originally choreographed and danced by Graham in 1942.
Although Appalachian Spring has wonderful choreography and the corps does it justice, it feels somewhat dated in our current era of cynicism and uncertainty, not just in subject matter—“the pioneer American spirit… optimism and hope”—but also in costumes and styling. This, however, offsets the more contemporary, more athletic later work. In newer pieces from more recent years, we still see the emotion in the dancers’ shapes, movements and even facial expression, but it is now a more physical workout that extends the boundaries of what is possible with the human body within a graceful context.
One particularly provocative ongoing work involves variations inspired by a clip of Graham’s original Lamentation from the early 1940s. The Lamentation Variations were originally conceived in 2007 as a one-time commemoration of 9/11, but the variations, which were developed under specific creative conditions, have become a company favorite and thus have continued in both development and performance.
Mythology has always figured prominently in Graham’s work. Errand into the Maze (1947), which loosely follows the myth of Theseus who confronted the Minotaur, was beautifully danced by PeiJu Chien-Pott. The final work of the evening, Echo (2014), was based on the myth of Narcissus, and the enmeshed dancing of Lloyd Knight (also compelling as the firebrand preacher in Appalachian Spring) and Abdiel Jacobson was mesmerizing. Adding to the effect were their swirling costumes, used to great effect here.
Dance aficionados should not miss a reprise performance, should we be so lucky. And the sustainably designed setting of the Performing Arts Center itself is worth a visit. Traffic is considerably lighter than on freeways to downtown, and programming, recently invigorated under the leadership of Thor Steingraber, just keeps getting better. To wit, acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma is scheduled for May 6. See you there?
